Variable-Strength Exercise Tights for Knee Mobility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sports tights with high compression support for knees impair comfort and cause fatigue during long-distance running, as they restrict knee joint mobility and increase vertical movement of the center of gravity.
Innovation Solution
Sports tights with a high-strength region, low-strength region, and middle-strength region are designed to provide moderate support, allowing knee joint flexibility while minimizing vertical movement and reducing fatigue by using fabrics with varying tensile strengths arranged in specific patterns to enhance running efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If high compression is applied to knee joint areas through taping fixation principle, then knee support stability is improved, but knee joint mobility and running comfort deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The tights employ different fabric strengths in different regions: high-strength fabric is strategically placed around the knee joint area to provide support stability, while lower-strength fabric is used in other areas to maintain comfort and flexibility. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by concentrating support where needed without compromising overall mobility.
Solution Approach 2:
The tights are divided into multiple fabric regions with different mechanical properties. The high-strength region is segmented and positioned specifically at the knee joint, while other regions use fabric with varying strength characteristics. This segmentation allows the tights to provide targeted support without uniformly restricting knee joint movement.
2Reliability
If high compression tights are used to support knees, then knee stability is improved, but wearer fatigue increases during long-distance running
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than applying high compression uniformly across the entire tights, the invention uses high-strength fabric only in specific knee joint areas. This localized approach provides necessary stability while reducing overall compression, thereby decreasing fatigue accumulation during prolonged running activities.
3Reliability
If high rigidity fabric is used to provide support force, then support effectiveness is improved, but comfort and flexibility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies high rigidity fabric only in the high-strength region around the knee joint where support is most needed. Other portions of the tights use fabric with lower rigidity to maintain comfort and flexibility. This spatial differentiation of material properties resolves the contradiction between support effectiveness and comfort.
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided are sports tights formed of a fabric including a high-strength region having a relatively high tensile strength and a low-strength region having a relatively low tensile strength. The high-strength region is located continuously from a waist part to an under knee part of the tights, and located to form a triangular or other polygonal shape having at least a first vertex located to overlap a superior portion of a shinbone of a wearer when the tights are worn, a second vertex located to overlap a vastus lateralis muscle of the wearer, and a third vertex located to overlap a vastus medialis muscle of the wearer and located inferior to the second vertex. A portion of the high-strength region overlapping a patella of the wearer when the tights are worn is located anterior to a bending center of a knee joint of the wearer when the tights are worn. The low-strength region is located within the polygonal region and anterior to the patella of the wearer when the tights are worn, and located to be surrounded by the high-strength region.